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Lavrov: Iran Part of Solution to Mideast Challenges

Iran should become part of the solution to security issues in the Middle East, rather than being blamed for every problem that is taking place in the region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
"I am convinced that Iran is a country that should be part of the solution to the problem of the region, rather than being portrayed as the main culprit of all that is happening there," Lavrov said in a recent interview with Latin American media outlets and RT television ahead of his visit to Cuba, Brazil and Suriname.
According to Lavrov, the policy to make Tehran a “scapegoat” for everything that happens in Syria, the Palestinian territories and Yemen or in neighboring countries is confrontational.
"It will not help solve problems. I am convinced that Iran should be involved in the dialogue. We are talking about this with our American and Israeli colleagues. I am convinced that we will defend this position more and more efficiently, because more and more countries realize that any adventurous aggressive military scenarios only lead to a deadlock," he said.
Lavrov noted that any attempt by US warmongers to solve the Iranian problem by military means could lead to disastrous consequences.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also recently expressed concern over the confrontation between the United States and Iran.
"This worries us because this is happening near our borders. This may destabilize the situation around Iran, affect some countries with which we have very close relations, causing additional refugee flows on a large scale plus substantially damage the world economy as well as the global energy sector," Putin was quoted as saying by TASS.
"We would welcome any improvement when it comes to relations between the US and Iran. A simple escalation of tension will not be advantageous for anyone. It seems to me that this is also the case with the US," he added.